Lighthouse
by Ulrilra
Summary: Luffy finds his heart breaking unexpectedly one stormy night at the end of the Grand Line. Who is this mysterious child who appears from nowhere, and why is she so interested in him?
1. Chapter 1

Flashes of lightning shone in through the windows of the crow's nest, lighting up the room. The roar of thunder followed, the sound blending in with the creak and groan of the floorboards as the room tilted gradually one way, then the other. Below, lapping waves rocked the sturdy frame of the Sunny as it bobbed up and down, side to side, anchored in place against the rocky haven jutting out of the ocean. Some twenty feet above the top of the mainmast hung a stony outcrop, the roof of a cavernous depression in the barren rock, which shielded the ship from the rain, wind, and deadly currents as its crew waited out the night. Four members of that crew inhabited this highest room in the ship, three of them staring skeptically at their long-nosed crewmate.

"...Like I was saying!" exclaimed Usopp drunkenly, slapping the floor from where he lay sprawled out on his side, his head resting against his hand. "That was no dream! I saw her! Last night! And tonight too! Right before this storm started! She was right out there, standing on top of the main mast!"

The sharpshooter heaved a sigh and brought his bottle of booze to his lips, his brows creasing in an expression of pained fright as he took a chug. Franky, who was lounging against the opposite wall, his legs crossed and hands clasped behind his head, eyed the sniper suspiciously for a moment before reaching for his cola and taking a swig. Jinbe, leaning forward and stroking his chin in interest, muttered a "Hm..." Luffy, sitting opposite Jinbe, lowered his own bottle to the floor with a decidedly loud thud, and nodded his head in grave seriousness.

"That's it. I've got it. It's a 'mystery girl'." the captain declared.

"Hm…" Franky growled, glancing out a window at the dark silhouette of the main mast. "But...even if you say that...There's definitely no one out there now..."

"I-I saw her!" Usopp whimpered, "A young girl! She was just standing there, staring in through the windows!"

"A young girl you say…" Jinbe said ponderingly. "Might it be that your eyes were playing tricks on you? With this heavy fog we've had of late…"

"That's true." agreed Franky, nodding. "It's been pretty bad these past few days. Ever since leaving Raftel, this mist hasn't let up...If not for that, we'd have already made it to the Red Line. Are you sure you didn't just see a shadow?"

"I-It was no shadow!" Usopp yelped, pushing himself up to a sitting position and falling back against the wall. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Ahh…! There really is something wrong with this part of the ocean...The storms...the fog...and even the log pose has gone haywire…! We've been lost now for over a week! If we hadn't come across this rock when the storm hit…!"

"There is something strange about these weather patterns…" Jinbe agreed. "For this mist to persist despite the wind and rain...Even for the Grand Line, this is unusual…"

A flash lit up the room again, quickly followed by the booming howl of thunder. Usopp cowered up against the wall, drawing his knees in and shaking, his bottle in hand.

"Shi shi shi!" Luffy laughed. "Anyway! Tonight it's time to party!"

"That's true!" agreed Franky, raising his cola. "Once again, cheers to the new Pirate King!"

"Indeed. Cheers!" Jinbe exclaimed, grinning as he held up his own bottle. "It's already been a week, but somehow it's still hard to believe…"

"B-But, if we stay lost like this and can't find the Red Line…!" Usopp continued worriedly.

"Don't worry!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "Leave it to Nami! She said she's been making a map!"

"Right," Franky nodded. "While the rest of us have been taking turns on lookout, Nami's been doing nothing but working on those charts…"

"We really are in her care." Jinbe agreed, nodding somberly. "I've thought this for a while now, but she truly is an amazing navigator. Guiding us through those storms on the way to Raftel, and now keeping us afloat in these trepid waters, despite a week of this poor visibility…"

Luffy grinned. "Of course! She's amazing, right?"

Usopp took another gulp of his drink before wiping his mouth off with a hand and breathing a heavy sigh, his look of fear suddenly leaving him. With a slight wobble in his neck, he leaned forward slightly and looked at Luffy.

"Luffy, you love Nami, don't you?"

The glare of lightning filled up the room once more, followed promptly by another thunderous blast.

"WHA-!" Franky immediately gasped, snapping his head around in the sharpshooter's direction at the same time as Jinbe turned to gawk at him. "Wha-What are you saying all of a sudden!"

"But you do, don't you!" Usopp shouted with a slight grogginess in his voice, pointing a finger at his captain. "I've been watching! Nami's the only woman you ever have eyes for."

Luffy stared at Usopp through a moment of tense silence, Franky and Jinbe looking back and forth between the two, eyes wide.

"What are you saying, Usopp?" Luffy finally said with a smile. "Of course I love Nami! I love all of you guys!"

"That's not what I mean." Usopp went on, slapping the floor and sighing as he closed his eyes and hung his head, shaking it side to side. "I'm worried about you, Luffy! We've already found One Piece. If you're going to tell Nami, now's the time, you know! If you don't, she might get taken by someone else!"

"Taken? What do you mean?" Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I mean, you're in love with Nami, aren't you?" Usopp huffed in elaboration.

"AH-! I-In love?" Luffy repeated through clenched teeth as realization hit him. He backed up slightly and put his hands up guardedly in front of him, a mildly comical nervousness taking him over as sweat rapidly formed on his forehead. "U-Usopp! I-"In love" means you get married and have kids and stop going on adventures, doesn't it!? I still want to have adventures! I-I can't do something like being "in love"!"

"...Um…!" muttered Franky, still staring wide eyed at Luffy. "He-He didn't deny it…!"

"I-Indeed, he didn't…" agreed Jinbe, likewise amazed.

Usopp huffed again and scooted up next to Luffy, draping an arm around his captain's shoulders while setting his bottle of rum in his own lap.

"Listen, Luffy…!" Usopp said in an instructional tone. "Back in the day, I was once known as the "god of romance," but...nevermind that. Anyway, like I said, I've been watching you since way back, but I never said anything…! The time wasn't right. But now!"

Usopp patted Luffy on the shoulder as Luffy stared at him nervously. The sniper wobbled and for a second it looked as if he was going to pass out. He continued.

"Luffy! Look me in the eyes and say you're not in love with Nami! If you can!"

"Er!" Luffy uttered, taken aback.

A few seconds passed as Luffy stared at Usopp. Franky and Jinbe speechlessly watched the rapidly progressing scene.

"I...can't say that." Luffy finally said.

"Then Luffy…" Usopp went on, his head wobbling a bit as his voice became groggier. "If you're a man...say it...How do you really feel about Nami?"

Luffy paused for a moment, his brow heavily furrowed as he stared down.

"I...I am in love with her. I love Nami." he finally stated, as if in realization.

"What?" came a woman's voice.

A blinding flash from nearby lightning penetrated the room, immediately accompanied this time by a deafening roar of thunder. When the light faded, Luffy looked down to find Usopp passed out over his legs, snoring. The hatch to the crow's nest was open, with Nami paused halfway into the room, staring at Luffy. Franky and Jinbe were staring at her, their mouths agape. After a moment, Nami proceeded up into the crow's nest.

"The...fog had let up so I came to get a better view of the...storm...no, Luffy...what did you just say?"

Franky and Jinbe turned to each other and, after a mutual pause, hastily stood up. Jinbe hoisted Usopp onto his shoulder and the two quickly excused themselves, bolting down and out through the hatch.

"Luffy...just now...what did you say?" Nami asked again, staring wide eyed at the captain.

Luffy stared back hard at Nami from where he sat cross-legged, his arms at his sides.

"Ah...Nami. You heard that...!" he said with a slightly shaken voice and an expression that was serious for him, though somewhat comical from an outsider's perspective, his brow a series of wrinkles from how hard he seemed to be pondering his sudden predicament. "I guess it can't be helped."

Nami continued to stare, her balance seemingly one with the back and forth rocking of the ship as she gazed down at him. The howl of wind and rain from outside could be heard off from where it battered the mouth of the stony alcove. Another lightning bolt illuminated the room for a moment, followed once again in short sequence by a reverberating growl of thunder. Luffy's frown ceased and he smiled. His face was then cast in shadow for an instant as he stood up.

"Nami, I really am in love with you." he stated with a kind, easy grin.

Nami's eyes widened more as a shimmer struck them and a blush tinted her cheeks.

"Luffy…" she whispered.

A few seconds passed before she spoke again.

"Luffy…! You...You are so important to me, I…" she began before trailing off, though her eyes stayed locked onto his. She continued again after another few seconds,

"I'm...I'm sorry!" Nami said quickly, proceeding to bite her lip, her eyes a well of tears. "Luffy...I'm really sorry!"

"Eh-!" Luffy immediately exclaimed worriedly, holding his palms out. "He-Hey, there really isn't anything you have to be sorry for! I just wanted to say that!"

A tear left Nami's eye and she jerked her gaze downward, pain taking over her face.

"I'm so sorry! Luffy, I...I always want to be there for you. I want us to always be crewmates…!"

"Of course!" Luffy boomed, sweat appearing on his face as he tried to fix what he'd said. "You're one of my precious crewmates! We'll always be crewmates!"

Luffy scratched his head agitatedly and rigidly creased his brow in thought as he fought to find the right words, Nami raising wide, teary eyes to meet his, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

"I-I shouldn't have said that! I was wrong! I'm sorry!" Luffy urgently corrected himself.

"No!" Nami exclaimed. "Luffy, that's not…! I'm just-I'm just scared of things changing! I just... want us to keep having adventures! And all being happy together like we have been all this time…!"

Luffy stared at her in a building intensity for a second before facing the ceiling and shouting with a considerable huff of air,

"Of course we will!"

He faced Nami and huffed again. A short time passed as Nami stared at him, tears gradually slowing down before she smiled slightly.

"Is it okay...if things stay like this?" she asked weakly.

Luffy grinned from ear to ear.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Nami stayed smiling at him a moment before she turned around and headed down the hatch towards the deck. Luffy sighed heavily and stared after her for some time, his grin gradually diminishing on its own. He sighed again, and fell back onto his heels, then further back through the air until his back slammed against the wood.

After sometime, he brought his hand up to clasp over his heart.

"Er…" he muttered. "This really hurts..."

He stayed like that in the dark as flashes of lightning continued to ignite the room in light, thunder rolled, rain pattered, and before he fell asleep, through the window, he caught the sight of a small girl standing on top of the main mast, gazing down at him.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, a massive storm descended on the rocky outcrop and the crew were forced to remain anchored. It became fiercer the next day and fiercer yet over the next few days, effectively trapping the crew as heavy winds and rain continued to wreak havoc on the seas around them. On the third night, they finally set sail during a break in the weather which turned out to be all too short, less than an hour passing before they were swept up by another deadly weather current.

The storm aside, three things were bothering Luffy at this time. One was the memory of four months ago when Sabo had died. That dark night on that wartorn island where he and Brooke had become separated from the rest of the crew still rung through his mind. The revolutionary army had fought the marines there with the crew's help and Brooke and Luffy had been heading back to the ship when they saw him under a tree, heavily injured and breathing his last breaths. He died in Luffy's shaking arms, just like their older brother had.

"I'm sorry, Luffy…" Sabo had whispered with a small smile before he went. "Looks like I'll be joining Ace soon...But...promise me...you won't let this stop you…You have things you need to do...I love you, little brother."

After the screaming and the crying and the agony he'd gone through, his skeleton crewmate holding him as he mourned the last of his brothers, he'd managed to return to his senses. He was so close to One Piece, that had brought him back to his feet somehow. He'd made a protesting Brooke promise not to tell the rest of the crew.

The second thing bothering him was his heart. Ever since Nami had cried and apologized to him three nights ago, he'd been feeling a sharp pain there throughout the day and night. Nami had approached him the next day and been relieved to find him his normal self, but when he was in private, his heart would attack him more and more often as the days went by.

The third thing was the sickness he'd developed earlier that year. It had struck suddenly while he was meeting with Shanks on one of his islands. Shanks had said it was the same illness that had killed Gol D. Roger, a disease of the heart, but was amazed to see Luffy recover from it as quickly as it had started. Chopper had found that Luffy's resistance to poison had helped him overcome it and the whole crew had breathed a sigh of relief at the close call. After Sabo had died, he'd felt it coming back again, but he'd managed to push it back down. Now, though, he could no longer seem to stop the sickening feeling spreading out from his chest.

As the crew faced their current challenge, he found himself especially bothered by it, tremors reverberating through his ribs as he drew the rope in his hands tot, adjusting the Sunny's sloop at Nami's most recent order.

"Jinbe! Turn us thirty degrees starboard!" came Nami's shout, nearly drowned out by the chorus of rain pummeling the deck. The navigator's figure was a shadow perched up against the ship's railing, visible only by its barest contrast with the dark ocean beyond and the occasional flash of lightning. "Luffy! Sanji-kun! Zoro! Hold the sail in place!"

"Aye aye!" the four bellowed in reply, Jinbe turning the wheel from his place at the helm as the captain, swordsman and cook tugged tighter on their ropes.

A mighty wave threw the ship completely airborne at the same time as a heavy gust swept over it, sending the crewmates without firm holds flying through the air.

"Dos Fleur!" exclaimed Robin, squinting against the wind and rain from her place on the upper deck as she caught Franky, Chopper and Brooke in a net of sprouted arms.

"Wah!" exclaimed Franky, bouncing off onto the deck along with the reindeer and skeleton. "Sa-Saved! What the hell is with this storm!?"

From up above in the crow's nest came Usopp's cry, "Oi! Cyclone! Dead ahead!"

"Another one!?" bellowed Chopper and Brooke together.

"I already know!" Nami shouted as she raced through the rain to the helm, running up against the railing, her gaze darting over the billowing waves beneath. "Just keep us on course! We're about to hit a current that will get us out of here!"

In the thick clouds overhead, lightning streaked relentlessly across the sky, outlining the mountainous splotch of blackness ahead of them, a huge cyclone swallowing up half the horizon.

"Three...two…!" Nami whispered a countdown as she clutched tighter to the railing, her drenched hair whipping her face. "One…!"

The ship suddenly jolted to the right, nearly tipping over as it was picked up by a racing current.

"Jinbe, now!" Nami shouted in the fishman's direction. "Align us with the current!"

"Understood!" came the return shout as Jinbe wrenched the wheel around and the ship tilted nearly on its side as its course was adjusted. Within seconds, the Sunny was careening over and across the water at an astounding pace, the current carrying it like a river to the outer reach of the cyclone.

"You did it!" Franky exclaimed. "We're moving!"

"You're the greatest, Nami-san!" Sanji cheered as he strained his body backward to keep his hold on the rope.

Within minutes, the lightning-lit silhouette of the cyclone was a good ways off to the left.

"Usopp!" Zoro called upward. "How is it up ahead!"

"N-Not good!" came the sniper's alarmed cry. "No-AH! To port! Look!"

The crew cast their gazes forward and saw, off in the distance, beneath the glow of the clouds, a series of raging cyclones.

"UWAH! That many!?" Chopper and Brooke hollered in fright, clutching at each other.

"It's...Not looking like we'll be able to pass this!" Jinbe remarked. "Nami! What's our course to be?"

Nami bit her lip as she glared ahead for a moment.

"...We don't have a choice!" she shouted grimly. "We have to turn back!"

Xx

It was another three hours before the crew made it back to the stony outcrop, each member panting and exhausted as they once again lowered anchor beneath the overhanging rock.

"I'm…I'm wiped," Franky sighed out as he finished locking the anchorline in place. A shivering Usopp collapsed onto his stomach behind him as he finished his climb down from the crow's nest.

"No...more…" the sniper wheezed.

"But...to have to return here again…" Sanji muttered as he, Luffy and Zoro finished raising the sails. "Doesn't this mean we're trapped?"

Nami leaned against the main mast, panting.

"I'm sorry, everyone...We'll have to try again tomorrow...I'll definitely get us out of here…!"

"But really…" Zoro sighed as he and Luffy finished tying their ropes in place. "I wonder if we're ever going to get out of here. For ten days now it's been nothing but storms or mist...or some combination of both."

"It's fine! It's fine!" Luffy exclaimed happily, setting his hands on his hips as he faced his gathering crewmates. "It's all more fun this way!"

"It's not fun at all!" came the immediate shout back in unison.

"Anyway, I like this rock." the captain declared firmly. "There are a lot of Sea Kings around here and they're really tasty."

"Those Sea Kings are half the problem!" Nami exclaimed. "Since we've been stuck here we've been attacked by those monsters every day!"

"It's fine! It's fine!" Luffy declared again, grinning.

Nami looked at him for a moment, then breathed a quick sigh as she smiled back at him. As the crew returned to their quarters to change, Luffy stayed out on deck an extra moment, clutching his chest as a few pained wheezes left him. "Maybe...this isn't so good…" he muttered, panting a few extra breaths.

"Luffy-san." came Brooke's voice as the skeleton stepped out of the men's quarters. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, Brooke. I'm fine!"

"...Don't you think it would be best if you told the others about your brother?" the skeleton questioned. "I'm sure they would all want to know."

"Ah! I'm sorry Brooke, for making you keep it a secret." Luffy said, frowning. "I'll tell everyone...later...some time."

"Hmm…" Brooke muttered, placing his hand over Luffy's shoulder, a sad look somehow apparent in his hollow face.

Xx

Nami stayed up late again that night updating her charts, surrounded by navigational instruments and diagrams. She bit her lip as she she sweated slightly from how hard she was concentrating. Luffy's words from the other night flashed through her head and she bit her lip harder.

"Luffy…I need to do this last thing as your crew mate. I don't want to hurt you any more than I'm already about to…!"

Nami's heart gave an abrupt thud and she clutched at her chest in pain for a moment before forcing her attention back.

'I have to get us out of here soon!' Nami thought to herself, glaring at the map as she rapidly scribbled new markings onto it. 'I...don't have much time left…!'

Xx

It was early that next morning when Chopper"s shout rang out from the deck.

"Luffy!"

WIthin a minute the whole crew had gathered around Chopper and their captain, who was sprawled out on the floor, clawing at his chest as he wheezed.

"I-It's his heart!" Chopper exclaimed from beside him. "I-It couldn't be...The Pirate King's illness...I-Is it coming back!?"

"What!?" exclaimed Nami in terror.

"Didn't you say he'd recovered from it…!?" Zoro shouted.

"He-He had!" Chopper shouted in confusion. "Something changed! It's as if he just doesn't have the strength to fight it anymore!"

"What do you mean, Chopper!" exclaimed Nami.

"It's as if…" Chopper went on, "he's received some kind of shock. With these kinds of cardiological illnesses, they can sometimes resurface or become worse after certain triggers…"

Nami's eyes went wide as she remembered the other night.

"Er...Ahem…" said Brooke suddenly, coughing into his skeletal hand. "Everyone, I...I'm afraid I must tell you all something. I promised Luffy, but...for Luffy's sake, I worry I must not keep this a secret any longer."

Xx

"Hi-His brother died!?" exclaimed Sanji in shock as Brooke finished telling the crew about the incident from four months ago.

"Why didn't he tell us!" shouted Franky, tears streaming from his eyes. "To keep all that inside…!"

"Th-Then...his heart!" gasped Nami, her eyes watery. "Will he be all right!?"

"I don't know yet…!" shouted Chopper as he checked Luffy's pulse, the captain's eyes squeezed shut in a pained look as he continued to claw at his chest. "But that's what I don't understand...I've checked him regularly since his diagnosis and he's been fine until now!"

"I-Indeed, he has seemed fine until the other day." said Brooke.

Franky and Jinbe quickly glanced at Nami, then at one another. "You don't think…" Franky whispered.

"I...I wonder…" agreed Jinbe in concern. "We never heard what happened in that room after we left…"

Suddenly, a thunderous bellow exploded through the air and the crew tensed in surprise to see a huge, serpentile Sea King, teeth bared, glaring in at them through the opening to the stony alcove.

"WAH!" hollered Usopp as Zoro drew his swords and the crew tensed for battle. "It's another one!"

"It's bigger than this rock island by far!" remarked Robin nervously. "But…that may work to our advantage..."

The monster bared its fangs wide and shot at the entrance to the alcove, only to find its head too big to fit, its skull crashing against the rock in a spattering of dust and boulders.

"I-It's true! It can't make it in!" exclaimed Usopp with relief as the Sea King furiously began biting at the stony entrance. After a few tense seconds, it slithered its long, snake-like tongue inside the cave, latching it onto the ship. As it pulled its tongue back, the ship began to lift out of the water.

"1,080 Pound Cannon!"

A beam of light flashed out of Zoro's sword, flying into and through the monster's tongue, slicing off its ship-sized tip. Blood spurted into the air as the beast jerkingly pulled its tongue back out and howled a thunderous roar. It then glared at the ship for a moment before diving into the water.

"Di-Did it it give up!?" hollered Brooke.

Suddenly, the beast reared its head out of the water again and began slamming it against the surface, sending a series of giant waves into the alcove.

"He's trying to-!" Nami exclaimed just as the first gigantic wave hit and lifted up the ship, sending it leaping up into the air.

"Shit! Luffy!" shouted an airbound Zoro as he tried and failed to catch his unconscious captain before he careened over the side of the ship and into the water below. A moment later, the remaining crewmates crashed back to the deck as the Sunny fell back to the water.

"Luffy!" Nami immediately screamed, hopping to her feet and jumping overboard.

"Nami-san!" Sanji called.

Just as Nami, swimming furiously, managed to latch onto Luffy's vest, the Sea King opened its mouth wide and began sucking in water, pulling the two rapidly towards its mouth.

"No!" Nami shouted just as Luffy opened his energy-sapped eyes, glared at the monster, and unleashed an explosion of Emperor's Haki into its face. With a terrified bellow, the Sea King dove downward, creating a current that sucked Luffy and Nami down with it.

Nami struggled futilely as air escaped her lungs, still latching onto Luffy's arm as they were pulled deeper into the dark depths. A movement of white caught her attention just before she and Luffy dropped through the water into a tunnel of air, falling for a second before splashing into its powerful current. Nami gasped for air.

"Wha-! Th-This is….The Whitestrom!" she exclaimed as the winding underwater rapids carried them away at blinding speed. The current pulled them underwater for a moment before Nami yanked her Clima Tact out and proceeded to form a bubble of air, which buoyantly heaved them up onto the surface.

Some time passed as the current carried them through twisting turn after turn before they were abruptly thrown back out into the ocean depths, Nami clinging onto the now ascending Clima Tact desperately as she held her breath, an arm smothering Luffy's mouth so he wouldn't inhale.

Eventually they popped out into a stormy sea, where large waves pummeled them, jogging them up and down.

Xx

Luffy drearily awoke to the sound of thunder and the piercing chill of cold waves lapping against him. The sky was dark and rain was pouring down all around.

"Hmm…?" the captain mumbled meagerly, waves smashing against his face.

"L-Luffy…" came Nami's stutter of a voice from beside him. She had an arm wrapped around his side, keeping him against her while she clung with her other arm to her Clima Tact. She was kicking behind her.

"Na...mi…" Luffy mumbled.

"J-Just h-hold o-on…" she said. "L-Look! U-Up ahead!"

Some ways off in the distance, through the darkness and the rain, and the hovering blankets of mist, a light shone. A bright light.

"S-Somehow...we have...to make it…to th-that island…" Nami panted as she shivered fiercely.

Xx

The sky was now a nearly pitch black of smoldering thunderclouds and relentless rainfall, the sea a mass of mighty waves that tossed the navigator and captain around like seaweed as Nami, shivering fiercely, fought to keep them moving forward.

"M-M-Must be...t-twelve hours...s-since w-we went overboard…" Nami huffed, half asleep as she continued to thrash her legs behind her, propelling them steadily forward.

"Nami…" Luffy mumbled, "You won't...make it like this...I'll be fine...so let me go…"

Nami briefly looked at Luffy with a grim smirk. "I-If you d-die...I-I d-die...I've...a-already decided th-that…"

Xx

Hard ground met Nami's feet as she rose from where the tide crashed against the wet stone shore. Hypothermic and barely conscious, she used the last of her strength to pull Luffy up with her, collapsing onto her face as she did.

A minute later, finally recovered from the effects of the ocean, a cold but reenergized Luffy shot up with a roar and looked around. High overhead, through the darkness, shone a light brighter than any Luffy had ever seen save perhaps the sun, rotating about the top of a massive stone tower.

Luffy hoisted the shivering Nami onto his back, then proceeded to trek up the wet stone to the tower's base. He found a wooden gate, which opened when he pushed it, leading to a spiral staircase. He followed them up to find they wound around and up to open into a series of rooms, the topmost of which Luffy discovered to be a mechanized machine room. The floor below it, which he quickly returned to, contained a high-ceilinged room with a bed, shelves and shelves of books, and a massive fireplace in which burned a large fire.

"Whose tower is this?" Luffy asked outloud, to which came the unexpected reply,

"It's mine."

Sitting on the sill of a large window sat a small girl, no older than ten or twelve, with black hair and wide eyes, staring at Luffy.

"Who are you!" Luffy shouted.

"Who are you!" she shouted back.

"I'm Luffy!" Luffy declared. "The Pirate King!"

"EHHHH!" The girl bellowed loudly, astounded. "YOU ARE!?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Luffy shouted back.

The girl's shock left her suddenly as if it were an afterthought and she stuck a finger in to pick her nose. "So?"

"Ah, it's not really a big deal." said Luffy. "Anyway, my crewmate needs to rest! I'm going to use this room!"

"EH!" the girl exclaimed again. "You're going to use my room!?"

"Yeah!" shouted Luffy. "What's with you!"

"Ah. Nothing really. It's ok. You can use it." she said, proceeding to walk past him and out the door.

"What was that!" huffed Luffy. He glanced around the room, then at Nami's shivering face where her chin rested on his shoulder, deciding what to do.

Xx

Nami's eyes slowly slid open and she stared up into darkness for a moment, the cushions of a bed sinking beneath her. The crackle of a fire caught her attention and she weakly turned her head to see the flickering flames on the far end of a large, mortarstone room. The glow just barely reached her in the otherwise pitch blackness to cast faint, dancing shadows over her eyes. In front of the fire sat the easily recognizable silhouette of Luffy, his back turned to her.

"Luffy…?"

"Oh! Nami!" came Luffy's sudden voice as he turned a half-shadowed, half-illuminated face to look at her. He was smiling.

Nami stared half-lidded at him for a few moments then asked, "Where...are we?"

"I don't know!" Luffy proclaimed simply. "Some lighthouse on some rock somewhere. But more importantly, are you OK? You were really shivering."

"Hm...?" Nami muttered as recognition hit her. "Then...we made it to that island!"

She slowly pushed herself up onto a wobbly hand, thick covers sliding off her back. "Er!" She gasped with a shudder as she clasped her hands over her chest and quickly dropped back down, pulling the covers back over her. "C-Cold!"

Further recognition hit Nami and she lifted the cover back up slightly, glancing down at herself. "Eh...? Where are my clothes...?"

"Ah, I left them over there to dry. You wouldn't stop shivering with them on, so I took them off you. I also took mine off." Luffy said plainly, glancing over at the shadowy outlines of clothes hanging from a rod over the fire. Nami noticed then, as her eyes adjusted to the dark, that Luffy had on only his undershorts. "Anyway, you look tired. You should go to sleep."

Nami frowned slightly and slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position, draping the covers around her shoulders and closing them tight against her chest. She stared at Luffy for a moment, motionlessly.

She then set her feet on the floor and stood up, proceeding to walk over to where Luffy sat, the captain still smiling at her over his shoulder, questioningly. When she reached him, she promptly dropped to her knees. Luffy turned himself around to face her. "Hm? What is it?"

Nami continued to stare at him for a brief instant, a silence broken only by the howl of wind coming from outside and the rattle of windowpanes on the walls. Then, she swung her blanketed arms around his neck, embracing him tightly, her head locking up against his.

"Hm?" Luffy asked, sideglancing her in surprise as he raised an automatic hand up to her back. "Nami?"

Nami pulled her head back after a few moments, keeping a hand on his shoulder as she held the blanket closed over her chest with her other hand.

"...Why didn't you tell us about Sabo?" she whispered, her eyes watery.

"Er!" Luffy croaked, a nervous expression contorting his face as he pulled his head back slightly. "Did-Did Brooke tell you?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Nami pressed.

"...That's because...I don't have any brothers now. So you guys are all I have. I didn't want to make you worried."

Nami choked as a tear left her eye, pain taking over her expression.

"So you've been dealing with this...all alone...with your heart illness coming back…!"

"Ah, no! Brooke knew about it so it was ok! And I'm ok, so-!"

"What are you talking about!" Nami exclaimed. "If something that terrible happened to you, we should all know about it! Do you know how painful it is...to know only now that I wasn't there for you when you've been suffering so much!?"

Nami quickly looked down at Luffy's chest and slid her hand down to over his heart. A concerned look darkened her face for a few moments before her expression softened and she looked back up at him with an entirely new, wide-eyed look Luffy had never seen before.

"I hurt you too." she asked as much as stated. "The other night."

"AH!" Luffy exclaimed, his palms coming up in front of him, placatingly. "Tha-That was! I was wrong to say that, so-!"

Nami slowly raised her hand and placed it softly against his cheek. Luffy lowered his hands and his expression softened. A little time passed.

"Did you really mean it?" Nami finally asked, blushing, her hand falling to her side. "...What you said to me?"

"Eh? Ah. Yeah." Luffy said with a surprised expression.

Just then, light filled the room for an instant as thunder roared outside, and at the same time Nami leaned forward as if Luffy's face were pulling hers towards his, Luffy's momentary surprise almost magically turning into a surprised smile as he leaned towards her, the two closing their eyes on time for a sudden and perfect kiss. As their lips parted in a soft inhalation of air, Nami's head fell back an inch, her jaw hanging open slightly and a blush tinting her cheeks. Luffy's eyes went wider and his smile gradually widened from ear to ear.

"Shi...Shi...Shi…" he breathed as much as laughed.

Still blushing, Nami continued to stare at him for a moment before looking down and away.

"I...shouldn't have done that." she said with a sad look in her eyes.

"Why's that?" asked Luffy.

"Luffy, I'm...I'm dying…"


	3. Chapter 3

Luffy stared at Nami, his forehead furrowed. His nearly clotheless body showed half-aglow in orange illumination from the fire as it continued to spark and crackle. The darkness of the large stone room was occasionally penetrated by flashes of lightning shining in through the windows, thunder muttering in the background as glass shook before a muffled wind.

"You're...dying? Hey...Nami...What do you mean!" he shouted.

"It was when we were on Shanks' island..." Nami began, a look of regret on her face. "When Chopper realized you were sick. I felt like something was wrong with my heart and the doctor on Shanks' ship noticed it somehow. He told me I had caught the same illness as you...but that it was going to get worse."

"Why…! Why didn't you tell us!" Luffy shouted.

Nami sighed. "We were all so relieved when we found out you'd be all right, and there wasn't anything that could be done about it, so...I just wanted us to continue our adventure..."

"Hey...Nami...Nami!" Luffy exclaimed, putting his hands on her blanketed shoulders as his face took on a dark look. "You have to tell Chopper! We'll find a cure!"

"Luffy...don't you remember what Chopper said when you first got better? 'You're so lucky. This is the one disease that just can't be cured.'"

"Even then...We'll find something!" Luffy insisted. "Somehow!"

Nami frowned, her eyes shifting in a mix of emotions as she stared back at him. "It's not like I want to die either…! But even Chopper can't help me. It would take a miracle!"

"I know of one!" came a voice. "A miracle."

The captain and navigator turned to see the young girl Luffy had met earlier sitting on the bed, smiling at them.

"AH!" exclaimed Luffy, "It's you again!"

"Yeah. It's me." said the girl in agreement, nodding her head seriously. "Anyway, if you need a miracle, I'm looking for the same thing! Have you ever heard of the land of cherry blossoms?"

"No, I haven't heard of it." Luffy said. "Who are you?"

"It's the place I've been searching for. " the girl went on. "A land where 'any illness can be cured.' I'm pretty close to finding it! If you want, I'll tell you where it is when I do."

"Ah, that'd be helpful." said Luffy. "Who are you anyway?"

"By the way," the girl continued, facing Nami, who had been only staring at her, still holding her blanket over her chest, "you're shivering a lot, huh? You should take a bath."

"Eh?" Nami asked, snapping out of her daze. "W-Wait. You...Who are you? Where are your parents?"

"Ah, I don't have a name. Or parents." the girl answered strangely, proceeding to jump off the bed. "There's a bath two floors down! It's really warm. I'll get it ready for you."

The floor beneath the girl suddenly curved downward, rippling like water, and the girl fell through it, disappearing.

"EH!" Luffy and Nami shouted together. The floor wobbled up and down for a few seconds before returning to normal.

"She disappeared!" hollered Luffy.

"Wha-What was that!" exclaimed Nami. "Who is that girl!"

Xx

Luffy and Nami entered the archway two floors below to find themselves in a curving corridor, lit only by the dim light of a few encircling windows. The sound of running water echoed down it from further on. They followed it and came to a roomy, tiled bathroom in which sat a large bath being filled up with water jutting from a faucet. A few torches hung on the walls. The strange girl was already sitting unclothed on a raised step in the tub, splashing her feet.

"Ah, you can come in now!"

"...Ok, I'll do that." said Luffy, beginning to slide off his undershorts.

"Hold on, Luffy!" Nami berated him before turning to the girl, "Little girl, how old are you?"

"I'm eleven!" she answered, continuing to splash her feet. "I think."

"Are you all alone here?" Nami went on to ask.

"Yep!"

"How long have you been here?"

The girl smiled wider as she stared at Nami.

"Errrrrr...I think...Five years!"

The navigator's eyes went wide.

Xx

Nami gazed at the girl in front of her as they sat submerged in the tub, orange torchlight flickering across them. Her hair was short, black, and a mess, despite being wet. From behind a corner, Luffy's humming could be heard along with the trickle of running water as he showered.

"How does this lighthouse have running water?" Nami asked. "And speaking of which...how is its searchlight even working?"

"It uses special machines!" the girl replied. "I read about them in the books here. They're old."

"In the books? You mean those ones on the bookshelves upstairs?"

"There are more books in the floors below! A mountain of them. I've only read half."

Nami stared at the girl as she swung her hands and feet through the water. She hadn't fully entered the tub.

"Are you a Devil's Fruit user?" Nami questioned.

"Yeah! I have a really cool ability!"

"What fruit did you eat?"

The girl grinned a toothy smile. "He he he. It's a secret!"

"Is it?"

"How come you won't come in? Did you eat a Devil's Fruit too?" the girl questioned Luffy, who Nami just noticed had his arms folded over the side of the tub, chin on his hands.

"Yeah! I ate the Gomu Gomu fruit. I'm a rubber man!"

"Ah!" Nami grunted, pushing her palm into Luffy's face. "You can stay on your end of the room."

Xx

As Nami settled into bed for the night, she noticed the girl spreading herself out by the fire next to Luffy, their heads side by side as they lay out, heads and feet facing opposite directions.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked, sitting up as she held the blanket open slightly. "We can sleep together."

"EH!" the girl exclaimed, her jaw dropping slightly as she turned her head. "Ah. It's okay. Sleeping by the fire's more romantic."

"Oh! You really get it!" Luffy exclaimed as he clasped his hands behind his head and propped his foot over his knee, grinning.

"Re-Really?" Nami asked uncertainly, setting a foot out of bed. "Why don't we change places. This is your bed, isn't it?"

When she was met by silence, she looked closer to see that the girl had already fallen asleep. A snore told her Luffy had fallen asleep as well. She stared for a minute, then grabbed one of her blankets and stood up with it, walking over to where the girl lay and placing it over her.

Xx

"She disappeared." Luffy was saying as he stood by the fireplace, arms crossed, staring at the empty blanket in front of him.

As she finished putting on her shirt, Nami glanced out a window, squinting against the gray morning light pouring into the room.

"Luffy, I'm worried about that girl." Nami stated, shifting her gaze to the staircase. They proceeded to check the lower rooms, finding mostly stacks of books and a few strange metal instruments, but no sign of anyone else.

When they stepped outside to explore the island, they found little but seaweed and wet rock. The island was small, and no other land was in sight, except-

"Uwah! The Red Line!" Luffy exclaimed, pointing at the towering wall of rock in the distance, clouds obscuring its massive height. "We found it!"

"So that's where we are!" Nami gasped, gaping outward at the towering cliff. "But...will the others be able to find us here?"

Xx

"I wonder where everyone is now…" Nami said concernedly. "The Whitestrom really carried us a long way. I hadn't even realized we were this far from the Red Line..."

"Hmm…" muttered Luffy between chews as he held up the piece of cooked sea beast he'd managed to slay from afar earlier that day. "Aren't they still at that rock?"

"If they are, that's fine but…" Nami muttered before taking a small bite of sea beast. "I'm worried what will happen if they try to find us. Even with Robin and Jinbe as navigator, with these storms…Anyway, we really need to find a way off this island. Also…"

Nami stared out the window into the black night from where she sat around the table with Luffy. They'd found a table and chairs in a lower room and brought them up earlier that day.

"It's already late and we still haven't seen that girl…! Where has she gone?"

A pant suddenly left Nami and she fell off her chair.

"Eh-!" exclaimed Luffy, knocking his own chair aside as he quickly knelt down next to her. "Nami! What's wrong!"

"Ahh...no, I'm just…" Nami began before clutching her chest in pain. "Uh!"

A shiver hit her and she began to tremble, heavy breaths leaving her as she lay sprawled on her side.

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy exclaimed, placing his hand on her shoulder in alarm. When her shivering increased, Luffy slid his arms under her and lifted her up, bringing her to the bed.

"Ah...I'm...okay…" Nami breathed as Luffy set the covers over her, kneeling by her bedside.

"You're not fine at all, are yo-" Luffy began before abruptly clutching his own chest and falling over.

"E-Eh! L-Luffy!" Nami panted painfully, trying and failing to sit up. Another pained breath left her and she passed out. On the ground next to her, Luffy passed out as well, shivering as he clutched his chest.

Xx

Late into the night, a girl appeared suddenly in the room, clutching a roll of paper. Lightning lit her small silhouette from behind as she began to make her way to the stairs before stopping at a figure collapsed on the floor.

"AH! NO!" she shouted, dropping her papers as she quickly dropped to both knees at Luffy's side. He was panting and shivering. The girl grabbed his back and, with a surprising display of strength, lifted him onto the bed with what she then noticed was the likewise shivering Nami.

"B-Both of them are…!" she exclaimed to herself, lifting the blanket up as she pushed Luffy onto his side up against Nami. "Have to make them warm...!"

She then ran to the smoldering fire and threw more wood into it.

Xx

"Mmm…" Nami muttered as her eyes opened to the light of a dim morning before adjusting to see Luffy beside her, lying on his back in the bed. "Wha! Luffy?"

"AH! You're awake!"

Nami lifted herself up slightly to see the girl from the other night sitting on a chair by their bed.

"It's you!" Nami exclaimed. "Where did you go! What…"

A heavy pant left her and Nami collapsed onto her back. Luffy began to stir at the same time, rolling onto his stomach and throwing an arm around her.

"You should stay in bed." the girl said. "I brought you both medicine."

"Eh...medicine…?" Nami asked, beginning to feel her own weakness as she tried and failed to lift Luffy's arm off her.

The girl stood behind Nami and lifted her head up with a hand, bringing a cup of some warm fluid to her lips.

"Eh-wait-" Nami began but the girl shook her head.

"No. You have to drink it. It will make you better."

Nami stared at the child's innocent, sincere eyes for a moment before taking a sip. The girl stayed there until Nami had finished it, then ran to the side of the room and came back with another cup.

"Hmmm…" Luffy mumbled as he awoke, shifting onto his back. He turned his head drearily to the side. "Hm? Nami?"

The captain tried to sit up but collapsed back down, a strained breath leaving him. "Er!"

"Drink this." came the girl's voice again as she lifted the surprised Luffy's head up and held another cup to his lips.

"Oh, thanks..." said Luffy sleepily as he downed the cup. "Wha-! Bleh! What was that!"

The girl sat back down on the chair by the bed, staring at them.

"Where did you get...medicine…?" Nami breathed as she eyed the girl from the side,

"Don't worry." said the girl simply. "I have to go now. You should stay in bed."

The air around the girl suddenly became distorted, like a magnifying glass, and in an instant it closed around her as she vanished with it.

"W-Wah!" shouted Luffy.

Xx

"Where do you think...she went this time?" Nami asked weakly from where she lay beside Luffy in the bed, turning on her side to see him in the dark, firelit room. "We've...been in bed for two days now...she just...keeps coming and bringing us shellfish...and that medicine...and tending that fire...and then disappearing again…"

"Hmm…" muttered Luffy, staring at the ceiling from his place on his back. "Somehow, it feels like I'm getting energy back. I wonder if that medicine is working."

"Me too, but...how could she have something like that?"

"Don't know." said Luffy, turning to her before grinning. "But she's...pretty okay! I like her.

"Yeah. I think so, too...There's something about her though, I…"

"Yeah, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before." Luffy agreed.

"Who is she…" Nami muttered, frowning. After a moment, she looked into Luffy's eyes.

"Luffy, how's your heart? Does it hurt?"

"Hm...It hurts a little, but it's been getting better since I drank that medicine. What about you?"

"...Just a little…" Nami breathed before scooting up closer to Luffy and wrapping an arm around his back. She sunk her forehead into his throat. Luffy returned her embrace with a smile and the two soon fell asleep.

Xx

Luffy felt good enough to get out of bed the next day and managed to take down and cook a sea beast. The girl reappeared in the room as he got back and the three of them ate together.

"AH! This...What is this…!" the girl exclaimed after taking a bite, glaring at the meat with a shocked expression. "This is better than shellfish!"

"Of course it is!" exclaimed Luffy indignantly between giant bites. "Shellfish can't even be called meat! This is real meat! It's great, right?"

The girl proceeded to devour the meat in huge bites along with Luffy as Nami watched from the bed, smiling, taking small bites as she rested against her hand.

As Luffy and the girl fell asleep on the floor, Nami heard Luffy ask her,

"What was that medicine anyway! It really worked! Are you a doctor?"

The girl mumbled something as her eyes slid closed before she fell asleep.

"No, Chopper made it…"

"EH?" Luffy uttered. "Chopper? You know Chopper?"

Nami rapidly sat up, propped up on a hand as she stared wide eyed at the girl now sleeping on the floor.

"Luffy…!"

"Yeah." said Luffy, frowning down at the girl as he crossed his arms. "Does she know us?"

Xx

The girl was gone again by the time Nami woke up the next morning. While exploring the lighthouse a little more over the day, Nami came a across a section of the library she hadn't noticed before. It held a desk and chair besides which were stacked hundreds of maps.

"What-!" Nami exclaimed, rapidly sifting through the sheets of paper. "These are new...and they're really well done! Did that girl draw these?"

The girl didn't appear that day, or the day after, but Nami noticed footprints on the stone of the room each morning. On the night of the third day, Nami stayed awake until she saw her. The girl suddenly appeared in the room, her body appearing out of a lenselike curvature of air, where she then proceeded to walk past the fire. She was shivering.

"Hey…" said Nami, causing the girl to jump in fright.

"Ah! Y-You're awake!"

"You're shivering." Nami said, sitting up in bed. Luffy sat up at the sudden noise from beside her.

"Hmmm?" the captain mumbled before noticing the girl, standing frozen by the fire holding a roll of papers. "Oh, you're back!"

"Is that...a map you're holding?" Nami asked. "Can I see it?"

The girl handed Nami the map and the navigator scanned it for a moment. "This is...really well done!" Nami exclaimed. "Are those maps downstairs yours too?"

The girl smiled. "Yeah! I've always been good with cartography and stuff."

Nami stared at her further before saying, "I heard you say Chopper made that medicine. Did you meet our crew out at ocean?"

"AH!" the girl exclaimed in shock. She bit her lip and looked down for a moment.

"N-No." she finally said. "I have been looking for them. But they're not at the island you were at before. When I see them, I'll tell them how to get here though."

Nami gazed at the girl.

"When you use that ability to go out, are you searching for that land of cherry blossoms?" Nami eventually asked.

"Yeah." the girl nodded, a nervous expression on her face.

Nami stood up from the bed and walked over to her by the fire. She knelt down in front of her.

"Can you tell us why?"

The girl gave a grave frown. A little time passed before a determined grimness spread across her face.

"I'm...I'm here to save both of you!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Eh? Save us?" asked Luffy.

"Do you...know us?" asked Nami.

The girl frowned harder as she stared at Nami, then at Luffy.

"I...I traveled through time to come here." she finally said. "I ate the Toki Toki fruit. I'm a space-time human. I can move through space...and travel through time. Only one time though."

The girl's frown intensified further.

"You were my…" she began, looking first at Nami, then at Luffy. "...p-parents…"

"EH!" uttered Luffy, standing up.

"But, I never met papa. He died when I was small. I was six when you-when m-mama died…" she continued, frowning intensely at Nami. "Or...maybe five."

She rubbed her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to remember. She raised her head after a moment to face Nami again.

"We lived with Grandpa Dragon. He protected us from the marines. Chopper came by sometimes...He was always trying to find the land of cherry blossoms. He said it would cure you. But when you died...I was really upset. So I went back in time. And came here. You-er...Mama talked about a lighthouse at the end of the Grand Line. I knew you'd come here some day. And it was close to where Chopper thought the miracle island was. So I came here, but I went back too far by a mistake. After a couple years, I noticed one day that I couldn't remember my name...It was a good thing, though, because I still haven't found the island. I'm close though! I've made maps of almost this whole sea now!"

The girl finished in a breath.

"Hey, wait!" exclaimed Luffy. "You're...our daughter? Mine and Nami's?" Luffy asked, glancing back and forth to Nami and then to the girl with an aghast stare.

"Ah, it's okay! You don't have to think of me as your daughter. You don't know me, after all." she said with a smile, a vacant look appearing in her eyes. "I can't go back to my time anymore, and since no one in the world knows me, I'm not really anybody! I don't even have a name! I'm like a ghost! Isn't it cool?"

A tear left Nami's eye as she gazed at the little girl.

"Hey...you..." Luffy voiced, taking a step forward.

"But don't worry!" she said, turning towards the doorway as she breathed out a huff of air, "I'll definitely find the island and make you better. Then I'll go somewhere else and you can make a family! I've already changed things by coming here though, so I won't be born this time. Maybe you'll have a son instead..."

Nami stood up as the girl headed for the door.

"Anyway, the storms start to get really bad this time of year, so I have to hurry and keep on searching. I'll let your crew know where you are if I see them. I don't think you'll see me again until I find the island though so make sure you rest and don't get any more sick-"

She was cut off as warm arms slid around her chest and belly from behind and pulled her backward. Her feet left the floor and her back became firmly pressed against a warm chest as a kneeling Nami proceeded to tightly embrace her, cradling her in her arms.

"-Eh…!" the girl uttered, her arms shooting outward in surprise. "Eh? Eh?"

Nami squeezed her tighter for a few seconds, eyes closed as she sunk her chin to press her cheek against the girl's hair. Sliding an arm around the girl's shoulder, Nami gently turned her around to face her. She was beaming down at her, eyelids sunk almost to the point of being closed, a smile spread across her lips. She brought a hand up and cupped the girl's cheek, gently stroking it as she slid her fingers into and through her hair.

The girl's eyes widened and began to tear up as she gazed at Nami, lips quivering. "Wh-Wha…?"

After a moment, Nami's eyebrows rose into an expression of gentle surprise, as if in sudden realization of something wonderful.

"So you're our daughter!" she exclaimed softly. "Have you just been waiting here for us, all this time...? You must have been so lonely!"

"Uuuu-!" the child let out, eyes now drowning in tears as she trembled against Nami's touch.

"Ma…! MAMA…!" she suddenly broke out, throwing her arms around Nami's neck as she broke down into a wide-eyed sob against her collar, Nami placing a hand behind her back and one behind her head at the same time, stroking her hair.

"There...there…" Nami crooned, closing her eyes as she continued to smile. "It's all okay now. You're not going to be alone anymore…"

From her side came Luffy's voice, the captain squatting down next to them, smiling at her with the same expression of happy surprise.

"What! So that's it!" he exclaimed, "So you're our kid! From the future...! That's great! Why didn't you say that from the start!"

"Pa-Pa...Papa…!" she stuttered with a trembling voice, snot now dripping from her nose as her eyes poured tears.

Luffy creased his brows in thought as he brought his hand to his chin. "No, but if I had to say...You do look just like Nami. And then, you also understand the importance of meat…Hmmm...Yeah. You're definitely our kid."

"More than that…" Nami said warmly, while leaning the girl back to look into her eyes, "I know it. Somehow...Since I first saw you, I could feel it...You are my daughter. I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner..."

The girl bit her lip as she continued to tremble.

"The-The island...I...I don't care about anything else!" she sobbed. "I...I just want you to live…!"

"Then I guess we have to live, don't we?" Nami said, smiling as she wiped a tear from the girl's cheek. "But you can't be searching all by yourself anymore. We have to get our crew together first and then we can all search together. After all, now we have those amazing maps you drew to guide us!"

"Ur…!" the girl croaked, her eyes swelling more with tears as her fingers tightened against Nami's shirt.

"But really, you're amazing!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning while reaching a hand across her back to enclose her shoulder, effectively sandwiching her between him and Nami. "You lived here for five years? And you did it for us? Really, thank you! As a father, for me, this has to be a 'prideful moment'."

Luffy nodded seriously. "Definitely. A prideful moment."

"We need to know what to call you, though." Nami said, looking down at her emphatically.

"Ah...I...I can't be your daughter after all." she said, looking down. "I don't have a name."

"What are you saying!" Luffy exclaimed. "Something like a name…! I'll make one for you right now!"

"Re-Really?"

"Yeah! Hm…" Luffy said as he pondered for a moment. "Okay. I've got it. I just came up with a good one. Your name is 'Mecha-Gorilla!"'

"Mecha-Gorilla!" the girl repeated, eyes aglow as she smiled at Luffy excitedly.

"DON'T JUST DECIDE FOR YOURSELF!" Nami barked. "Besides, you already have a name, don't you? If it's one we came up with for you, then maybe we can think of it again. Do you think you'd remember it if you heard it?"

"I...I don't know."

"We'll try." said Nami, rubbing her hand over the girl's head. "No, we'll definitely find it. Just give us a little time to think about it."


	4. Chapter 4

Nami smiled softly as she held the girl from her place on her knees, hot flames breathing whispily beside them. Opening her eyes, she stroked the girl's hair for a moment before leaning back.

"We'll decide what we'll do tomorrow. Let's get some rest for now."

The girl frowned gingerly at her mother for a time as her final tears left her.

"Shall we?" Nami asked, standing up to a crouch while lightly taking hold of the girl's hand, smiling softly all the while. She pulled on her hand as she motioned towards the bed. Outside, rain spattered against the tall windows high up on the walls, the sound merging with the popping of flames to fill a short silence. After a few seconds of nervous motionlessness, the girl looked towards the fire, smiling anxiously.

"Ah, I-I can just sleep here…!"

Nami lightly glanced for just a moment at Luffy. The captain noticed her look from where he stood smiling, his hands on his hips. He sunk to a squat next to the girl, grinning widely.

"Hey, by the way." he said, "We're crewmates now! Once everyone gets here, you'll board our ship! We're gonna go on a ton of adventures together!"

"...A-Adventures?" the girl repeated, staring wonderingly at Luffy.

"Yeah! We can go anywhere from here! The sea is really huge!" Luffy exclaimed, spreading his arms out in emphasis. "It's a hundred times bigger than this island! Or, no...a thousand times! No! Actually, bigger!""

"It's...that big?" the girl asked.

"Yeah! But really, you won't get it unless you see it with your own eyes." Luffy announced, nodding decidedly. "You want to see it, right?"

"Yeah…!" the girl said after another moment, nodding quickly. "I want to see it!"

"Great!" Luffy shouted happily. "Let's go see it together!"

The girl smiled excitedly at Luffy.

A memory of Ace softly breathing his last words flashed through Luffy's mind for an instant.

"Ah, also," Luffy went on, slapping a hand on the girl's shoulder, "It's obvious anyway, but me and Nami, and our crewmates too-we'll all love you!"

The girl's eyes immediately flooded with tears again as she sucked in her lip, gazing at Luffy.

"Shi shi shi!" he laughed after a second as he clumsily hugged the girl, slapping her back. "This is great! My family just got bigger!"

Nami gazed down at Luffy with heavily sunken eyelids and a deep smile. The little girl stared speechlessly at the fire, her face pressed against her newfound dad's shoulder. Nami lowered herself to her own knees and wrapped her arms around them both, enclosing their newfound daughter between them. After some time, she took both Luffy's and the girl's hands in her own and walked with them to the bed. Upon raising the covers and sitting over the mattress, she picked the girl up, holding an arm over her stomach as she lay herself on her side before pulling the girl toward her and laying her on her back. At a pull from Nami, Luffy happily climbed into bed beside them.

Sandwiched between Luffy and Nami as they lay propped up on elbows smiling at her, the girl lay stiff, staring through the dark at the ceiling through wide, flowing eyes. Nami and Luffy smiled at each other for a silent moment. Nami then gently cupped the girl's face and leaned in, kissing her cheek. "...I love you..."

Xx

Sunlight hit Nami's closed eyes and she stirred. The steady pattern of rain against glass combined with the distant pound of thunder lulled her further awake. She found herself staring into the little girl's sleeping face, the girl snoring lightly through a wide open, drooling mouth. As Nami raised her head slightly, she saw where her own hand lay over the girl's stomach, with Luffy's resting on top of hers. The captain was on his stomach, snoring loudly, a big smile on his face.

Nami slowly sat up, keeping her hand there as she raised her other hand to her chest, resting it over her heart. Gazing between Luffy and their daughter, she blushed a large blush while smiling unconsciously.

"...So warm..." she whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Nami squinted against the glare of a red sunset as she peered out through the window, a shadow on the horizon having caught her attention. The clouds were parted now, for the first time in days, allowing a clear view across the trepid ocean waters.

"They're here!" Nami gasped with a grin, her eyes focusing out to the dark shape of an approaching ship.

"Oh, great!" exclaimed Luffy from the corner of the room, standing up from the stone floor to stretch.

"She really found them…!" Nami said in amazement as she recalled the girl disappearing from sight early that morning. She'd left with only a quick announcement: "I'm going to find your crew! I'll be back soon!"

xx

Thirty minutes later, under a moonlit sky, the two stood out on an edge of the rocky island as the Sunny dropped anchor a short distance away.

"Luffy! Nami!" came Chopper's elated holler as the doctor leaned over the railing, eyes running with tears.

"NNNNNNNami-san!" Sanji called from next to him with a furious passion, "I've come!"

"Oh! Everyone!" Luffy exclaimed happily, waving.

"You guys!" Nami shouted from next to him.

A hatch opened in the side of the ship and the paddle boat floated out into the waves carrying Franky, Zoro, Jinbe and Robin. A few minutes later, the whole crew stood on the stone shore.

"But really! Those were some crazy storms we got lost in!" Franky was explaining. "Thanks to Jinbe, we were able to follow the Whitestrom for a ways, but if that girl hadn't appeared suddenly…"

"Yeah!" Usopp shouted, glancing out towards the ocean. "She just suddenly appeared on the deck and said she'd lead us to you! But she disappeared again once we saw the island..."

"Hm?" muttered Chopper, glancing towards the wooden gate of the lighthouse, which was opened a crack. "Oh! She's over there!"

The crew turned to see the girl jumping in alarm from where she stood in the entryway. She quickly slipped behind the threshold, peeking out at them with a nervous frown. Sanji smiled towards her and waved a hand, to which she gasped and hastily ducked out of sight.

"By the way, that girl never said who she was." Robin stated, facing Nami and Luffy while rubbing her chin. "Do you know who she is?"

"Yeah, she's my and Nami's kid!" Luffy announced cheerfully.

"Eh? Oh, so that's it…" Sanji replied casually, softly rubbing the back of his head. "She's your and Nami's…"

Sanji's eyes abruptly bulged out of their sockets, his jaw shot downward, and he leapt backward while flinging his arms out to the sides in terror.

"WHAT!?" he bellowed along with the rest of the crew.

"Your...kid!?" Usopp gasped.

"Yeah!" Luffy announced again. "She's also our new crew mate! She's awesome!"

"Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha!?" Sanji was stuttering as he stood frozen in horror, his jaw hanging open nearly to his chest.

"No, but, that's!" Franky said in confusion, glancing back and forth between Luffy and Nami and the lighthouse gate. "Ho-How is that possible!"

"Indeed…!" remarked Jinbe, staring at them wide-eyed. "That girl can't be younger than ten!"

"I think this needs a little explaining…" Nami said, glancing towards the lighthouse. "Let's talk inside..."

Xx

"From the future…?" Robin questioned from where she sat on a chair next to Nami. The rest of the crew stood spread out across the room, all staring wonderingly at the navigator except for Luffy, who was obliviously gnawing on a slab of sea beast, and Sanji. The cook had passed out and was lying on the bed with a bag of ice over his forehead. His jaw still hung open in frozen shock.

"So...So that's it…" Franky muttered in amazement. "And she's been waiting for you here for five years…Five years…"

Franky suddenly hiccuped as he brought a metal finger up to his pained, tearing eyes.

"W-What a trooper…!"

"How...How sad!" the similarly crying Brooke exclaimed as he bit down on his collar, shaking. "My heart aches! Although I do not have one!"

"But now that you mention it, it certainly does make sense…" remarked Jinbe from where he sat cross-legged next to the newly-lit fire. "That girl is an incredible navigator...That could only be an inborn ability."

"From what you've said, though," pitched in Zoro, the swordsman leaning against the firesil with his arms crossed, "...within a few years, Luffy's going to die, and then you'll die as well…?"

"That's right! Nami!" Chopper hollered as he changed into his human form. "Why didn't you say anything!"

"That's…" Nami breathed guiltily.

The human-reindeer stepped up to the navigator and took out his stethoscope, worriedly placing it against her chest.

"AH!" he exclaimed after a moment. "That's a terrible murmur! It's identical to Luffy's!"

"Isn't this...really bad, though!?" shouted Usopp. "Luffy's heart illness has come back...and now you're saying you have the same illness, Nami? It's incurable, isn't it!?"

"About that, though…" Nami said, suddenly turning to gaze towards the stairway door with a smile. "...You can explain your plan better than we can. Why don't you come in? Let's introduce you to everyone!"

"AH!" the girl gasped from where she was peeking in through a crack in the doorway.

"Yeah, the introductions are kind of late, after all." said Zoro as he turned to face her. "I'm Roronoa Zoro. You're Luffy and Nami's daughter, right? There isn't any reason to be shy."

The girl frowned grimly for a moment before stepping out into the room to meet the stares of the crew.

"I'm...nobody. Nice to me you." she announced seriously after a moment. A brief instant of silence followed before Usopp finally nodded equally seriously, bowing slightly. "Hm. I'm Usopp. Nice to meet you, Nobody."

"Er, wait. Huh?" cut in Franky. "You're nobody? How can anybody be nobody...Huh?" The cyborg proceeded to scratch his head as he creased his brows and searched downward in sudden confusion.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Nobody." Robin interjected, crouching down in front of the girl, her chin resting on her palm. "I'm Robin, the archaeologist. Welcome to the Straw Hat Crew."

"Ah! Quite! Welcome, Ms. Nobody!" exclaimed Brooke as he speedily hopped up beside her, taking out his violin and playing out a few melodic notes. "I am the dead, bone-only Brooke! The musician! If you are our Pirate King's daughter, that would make you our princess, would it not!? Please think of me from now on as your faithful knight!" The skeleton followed by dropping to a knee.

The girl stepped back a step in shocked surprise before turning to find herself staring into Zoro's face, the swordsman crouched to a knee to stare at her ponderously, a hand rubbing his chin.

"Hmm...Those are Nami's eyes, but…" the swordsman was announcing analytically, "You have more than enough meat on your muscles...it's Luffy's ape-physique. Undoubtedly."

"That's why I was saying, her name can only be "Mecha-Gorilla!"" Luffy asserted from across the room with an angry conviction, taking a hasty bite out of his slab of meat.

When the girl looked back from Luffy, Jinbe was dropping to a seat in front of her. The fishman nodded his head in a solemn bow before looking up at her with a toothy smile. "It's a pleasure to have met you! You have my gratitude for saving us earlier. Apart from Nami, I've never met one who could navigate such fierce storms! Truly, the blood runs thick!"

"Ah, that's right!" exclaimed Franky. "If it weren't for you, even the Sunny couldn't have taken much more of that storm...That makes you our savior, doesn't it!?"

The cyborg proceeded to pedal his steel arms about one another in a wheeling motion before lunging outward and slamming his arms together in a festive pose.

"A SUUUUUPER Franky welcome to our new crewmate! The savior of everybody: Who, you ask!? Why, if it isn't our captain and navigator's very own daughter...Nobody!"

"WHA!" the girl gasped distractedly as she gaped, eyes alight, at Franky's robotic form. "SO...SO COOL!"

"Auuuuw!" let out Franky in delight. "You've really said it now! If you're gonna go that far…!"

Chopper, now in his normal form, stepped in front of Franky just as the cyborg began striking a more elaborate pose.

"I'm Chopper!" he exclaimed excitedly. "So you're Luffy and Nami's daughter! If you've been here for five years, you're due for a checkup...I'll need to inspect you later on the ship."

"Chopper…!" the girl uttered through pursed lips and watery eyes as she stared at him for an instant before quickly clinging him into a hug. "I'm close to finding it! I'm really close!"

"EH!?" Chopper exclaimed. "Find what?"

The girl quickly stepped back and looked at Chopper seriously.

"The land of cherry blossoms. Where mama and papa can be cured."

"Ah…!" Chopper muttered, staring at her. "That's what Doctor said cured him back then...It's near here!? The land of cherry blossoms!?"

"I know where it has to be now!" the girl replied, nodding vigorously. "There's only one place I haven't mapped yet! But with these storms about to get worse...That's why this time of year is no good. Storms carry too much sea water so I can't use my ability to pass through them…"

"Speaking of which," added in Nami as she gazed up with some concern through the window, "the clouds are shifting rapidly tonight...A huge weather current will probably hit us. If that happens, we'll be trapped on this island for a while. If we're going to head out on the Sunny, we should leave tonight, and soon."

Xx

Nearly an hour later, after everyone had gotten some rest, the eleven Straw Hat pirates, including their new addition, were finishing making their way back onto the Sunny.

"You're Sanji, huh?" the girl was asking the sullen, chainsmoking cook as she sat next to him on the back seat of the paddle boat. Franky and Zoro sat in front of them as the cyborg steered the boat towards the ship. Everyone was now on board except for Luffy and Nami.

"Ah...Yes…" Sanji sighed as he looked down somberly at the girl, smiling slightly. "Consider me your knight in shining armor. By...By the way...are...are you sure Luffy is your father…? It's definitely not me…!?" the cook asked, pointing a thumb at his chest with a somewhat crooked, hopeful smile.

"It's obviously not you." Zoro sighed from up front.

"No, but...if you really look, she definitely has my hair. See? There's a hint of yellow."

"I don't see it." Zoro sighed again without looking back.

"Mama said you married a princess." the girl stated.

"EH! R-Really? W-Who?"

After dropping off the girl, cook, and swordsman, and as Franky began to turn the paddle boat around, a raging current of wind suddenly bombarded the ship.

"WAH!" Franky hollered as the paddleboat slammed against the side of the Sunny. The Sunny rapidly began moving out and away from the island before it was caught by the anchor, jerking it to a halt. The wind continued to pummel the ship as a haze flew in, destroying the crew's line of sight and blocking their view of the island.

"Damn! The paddle boat can't stay afloat in this!" Franky shouted as he jerkingly steered the boat back into the ship hatch, proceeding to slam the hatch shut behind him.

"WAH!" Usopp hollered from on deck, resisting the force of the wind as he tried to gaze through the mist towards the now-invisible island. "L-Luffy and Nami are still on land! What are we going to do!"

A loud cracking sound alerted the alarmed crew to the anchorline, which was about to get ripped out of the ship.

"I'm reeling in the line!" came Franky's bellow from below deck. "There's no choice!"

"It's the seasonal storm!" the girl exclaimed as she climbed up onto the deck. "I can't even leave the lighthouse when this happens!"

A curvature of air suddenly enveloped the girl and she disappeared.

Xx

"This...This is badl!" exclaimed Nami as she shielded her face from the winds pummeling her and Luffy. "I didn't think it would hit this early!"

"If it's become like this...!" Luffy exclaimed, stretching his arm out into the mist. After a moment, his arm snapped back. "Wah! The Sunny's...not there anymore!"

The air next to them suddenly became magnified and the girl jumped out.

"This is bad!" the girl exclaimed as she stumbled out onto the rocky shore, the wind whipping her hair around her face. "The winds are too strong! The ship is being blown away!"

"Then, can you take us onto the Sunny with you!?" Luffy asked, followed by a "Wah!" as a gust of wind nearly knocked the three of them over.

"No!" the girl shouted louder as the scream of the winds increased in volume. "My ability won't work on living things! Also! With this storm so strong, even I won't be able to leave this island soon!"

Nami frowned for a moment in growing determination before crouching to her knees and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Listen! It's okay! Go back with them! Find the island you've been looking for and then come back for us! We'll be okay!"

"EH!" the girl exclaimed. "But-!"

"There's no helping it!" Nami went on, smiling at her. "This storm is about to cover the island, maybe for a few weeks! More importantly! There's something I need you to do!"

Xx

A minute later, the girl re-appeared on the wind-whipped shore carrying a bundle of clothes taller than she was.

"Good job!" Nami exclaimed. "Luffy! Carry these!"

Luffy took the pile away from the girl, stumbling as he kept them from flying away.

"What's so important about clothes!" Luffy shouted.

"I'm not going to wear the same clothes for what might be a few months!" Nami shouted. "She also brought some of yours!"

Nami quickly crouched in front of her daughter and hugged her.

"Now! You have to go back while you still can!"

The girl frowned grimly for a moment before nodding quickly. "I'll definitely lead everyone to the land of cherry blossoms! I'll make a map! And then we'll come back for you!"

"Yep!" Nami exclaimed, smiling widely as she briefly stroked the girl's cheek. "We'll be waiting! Come back if it gets too dangerous! But...if it really exists, I definitely believe you can make it! You're our daughter, after all!"

"Shi shi sh!" Luffy laughed down at her, his face half smothered by the clothes pile. "It's your first adventure! Aren't you psyched!?"

The girl continued frowning for just another moment before she nodded firmly. "Yeah!"

With a warping of space, she then disappeared a final time.

"Let's get inside!" Nami shouted to Luffy over the increasingly howling wind, shielding her face as she and the captain ran through the gusts to the lighthouse gate. Upon running through it, Luffy kicked the door shut, the roar of the storm instantly being reduced to a fraction of its former noise.

Xx

The warm glow of the sparking fire dimly lit the high-up room in the tower, Nami and Luffy staring at it silently as they sat together in its small red aura. Nami's skin prickled as the encircling cold began to bite into her and she scooted up closer to the flames, tucking her bare legs up against her t-shirted chest.

"Is it really okay for them to be gone that long?" Luffy asked doubtfully. "Wouldn't it be fine if they just came back and picked us up when the storm was over?"

Nami continued to stare at the fire for a moment before replying,

"The truth is...I don't think I could handle a long voyage."

She glanced down and touched the left side of her chest with a few fingers. Luffy's face became a little serious as he looked at her.

"Is your sickness getting worse, Nami?"

"I'm fine for now. It's okay. More importantly…"

Nami turned her eyes to side glance Luffy.

"Luffy...Now...we can talk."

"Yeah." said Luffy agreeingly. "Talk about what?"

"We...have a daughter."

"Yeah." Luffy said again, nodding.

"Are you okay with that? I know you said you loved me but...is this what you want?"

Luffy smiled questioningly.

"What are you saying? Since I love you, it's obvious I want us to have a kid. Also, I really like her!"

Nami smiled back at him.

"Is that how it is?"

"Hm. That's how it is." Luffy replied, nodding seriously.

Nami stared back at the fire for a short while before going on.

"I was actually pretty surprised." she said, keeping her gaze forward. "That we would have a child. Even more surprised than when you said you loved me."

"Really? Why?" Luffy asked, looking at her from the side.

"You said you love me but…"Love" for you and "love" for a normal person should be two pretty different things…"

Luffy frowned.

"Really?"

"And really…!" Nami suddenly said in a huff, frowning at the flames. "I was really surprised! For you of all people to say something like that! I'd thought you definitely didn't have any interest in women!"

"Hm?" Luffy asked with a confused frown. "What are you talking about? Interest?"

"I'd even tested you a few times." Nami went on. "But you didn't notice!"

"Eh?" Luffy asked, frowning while tilting his head to the side questioningly. "You did? How?"

Nami lightly placed her hand on his thigh, proceeding to stroke it just slightly.

"Like this…" she whispered, tilting her head as she glanced at him seductively out of the corner of her eye.

"Hm? Oh, what. That?" Luffy questioned, still frowning. "I always thought you just had bad balance."

Nami slapped her forehead. She went on after another moment.

"That's why I'm saying...I was surprised. If I'm going to be honest, I'm still surprised."

The navigator squinted her eyes slightly as she peered at her captain.

"Do you know how people are born?"

A memory suddenly surfaced for Luffy of Sabo and Ace as children, clutching their stomachs as they pointed at him, laughing uncontrollably.

"Luffy! You're already ten and you don't even know!?"

"AH, yeah." Luffy said to Nami. "I've known about it since a long time ago. I totally understand it. I'm a man, Nami! How could you think I wouldn't know something like that!"

Nami squinted further at Luffy for a moment before she faced downward and sighed, a somber, subtly mischievous smile appearing on her face.

"A man...I wonder…"

"EH!" Luffy exclaimed, thoroughly outraged. "What does that mean! Nami!"

"Luffy, do you...Is there anything...you want to do to me?" she asked as she continued to peer at him from the side.

"Hm?" Luffy questioned again, his frown deepening as he stared at her. "Nami, what have you been talking about all this time."

Nami sighed.

"Well, it's fine...You have your own way of doing things, after all. Things are fine the way they are, too."

"That's why I keep saying, what are you talking about!" Luffy asked again, irritatedly. "I already said I love you! Of course, there are a ton of things I want to do to you!"

"Eh!" Nami exclaimed, quickly turning to look at Luffy at the same instant as he scooted up against her, flinging an arm across her back to rest over her shoulder. He grinned at her deviously, like they'd just taken up the same challenge.

"What's with you!" he asked. "If you want me to do things to you, I can do all sorts of things!"

"EH! W-What are you saying all of a sudden!" Nami gasped, staring into his eyes where they hovered inches from her own.

"Do you also want to?" Luffy asked with an even wider grin. "Do all sorts of things?"

Nami continued to stare at him in disbelief for a moment before asking,

"Like...Like what…?"

"Oh! Like this." Luffy exclaimed happily as he slid his arm up from her shoulder to behind her head, sifting her hair as he craned his neck forward to place his lips over hers, moving in a flowing motion and firmly but easily locking their mouths as he leaned her back onto the ground. Some of his weight pressed over her frame, Luffy holding her head against his just enough to keep them together as he sunk down over her. The dumbfounded Nami gasped against him for a brief break of their lips before she inhaled through his mouth as their faces rejoined and the captain roughly slid a happily caressing, open-fingered palm up her side. Nami slid a knee up in reflex as Luffy smiled widely against her now open lips, his caressing hand ending up under her arm and in some automatic, natural-seeming way she realized they were already sharing tongues.

Nami's head leaned back against Luffy's cupping palm just a bit as a slight extra bit of Luffy's weight touched down upon her. Drawing in a soft, deep breath at their next break in facial contact, Nami tilted her chin down just enough to place her lips on his chin as she breathed out an equally deep exhale onto him.

As if coming awake from a dream, Nami's eyes widened as they focused on Luffy's and she found her hand already lightly resting on his shoulder, another slung helplessly and flounderingly over his back. She gazed at him as a blush rose and grew in her cheeks, Luffy's smile widening into a toothy grin as he raised himself up slightly on an elbow.

"Shi...shi...shi…"


	6. Chapter 6

"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed in flustered shock, her cheeks flushed as she stared up at her cheerfully grinning captain, flaming shadows flickering across his half-shadowed face. Luffy slid his hand up and out from under her arm to place it on her cheek, sliding his fingers a bit into her hair as he kept himself hoisted over her on his elbow. Nami glanced at his hand, her eyes widening more in amazement as her lips fell open slightly. Her one hand remained on his shoulder and the other awkwardly slung over his back in a thoughtless embrace.

After a moment spent smiling down at her, Luffy creased his brows into a curious expression and lightly pinched her cheek, pulling it out an inch.

"Hwah?" Nami let out in surprise.

"Nami," Luffy said, still staring down at her ponderously, "I always wanted to do this."

"Eeh-"

"It's fine now, right?" Luffy went on seriously, proceeding to grip her other cheek and pulling it out to give Nami an involuntary smile.

"Whah-" Nami began, her arms tensing for an instant before she grabbed Luffy's cheeks with her own hands and squeezed his face out a foot to either side, snapping, "Hwat's ze idea!"

"Gwah!" Luffy hollered, letting go of her face as Nami quickly sat up, pushing him up with her. "Why arrrr yuu mad!"

"Just what have you been coming up with!" Nami barked. Still holding his face outstretched, she glared at the distraught captain for a moment in thought before slowly returning his cheeks to him, cupping his face with her hands at the same time. She continued to stare at him for another few moments. Her face suddenly softened and her eyes widened just slightly as she gazed at him further.

Nami slowly, almost jerkingly, and bit by bit, found herself leaning in towards him. In another moment, they were locking lips again, Luffy's cheerfulness immediately returning as he slid his arms around her back and Nami slid hers around his neck. They parted for just a moment, Nami gazing half-lidded into Luffy's eyes as a slight smile began to curl up her cheeks. They quickly returned to each other and Luffy softly tightened his embrace, crumpling her up against him as he leaned her head back and pressed into her.

Nami cupped the back of his shoulder with a hand as the two close-eyed crewmates bonded in a slow passion.

At some point, after some passage of time during which the fire popped and crackled and diminished to embers, and during which an increasingly angry wind whistled past and rattled the windows, Nami found herself briefly washed over by a chill air before her captain, still moving his head gently against hers, laid her down on the bed. Kneeling on the stone floor next to her, Luffy finally broke their warm exchange as, smiling, he grabbed the covers and tossed them over her.

Panting and face completely flushed, Nami, her head turned, stared open-mouthed at Luffy as he propped his chin onto his crossed hands over her bed, grinning at her.

"Luffy…" Nami whispered in a soft voice. "I love you…"

"Oh, me too." Luffy said with a huge grin.

Nami turned onto her side and reached her hand out, stroking his cheek with it.

"It's...just not possible to predict you, is it…"


End file.
